New Braunfels City Council voted to terminate the employment of its city attorney, Valeria Acevedo, following a two-hour May 11 executive session.
Council voted 4-3 to terminate its city attorney, with council members Toni Carter, Mary Ann Labowski and April Ryan dissenting. Mayor Pro Tem Lawrence Spradley made the motion, and council member Michael Capizzi seconded the motion.
The decision to terminate the city attorney's employment comes after the discovery of a conflict between the city charter and the Texas Constitution regarding the New Braunfels mayoral race.
What happened
Following the May 2 election, city officials reviewed the city charter, which states that the mayoral election is decided by the candidate who receives the most votes, or a plurality of votes, regardless of whether a candidate receives a majority. However, the city received information that this was incorrect under state law.
When a term of office exceeds two years, members of a municipality's governing body must be elected by a majority vote. Since the New Braunfels mayoral term is three years, a runoff must be held, according to the Texas Constitution. The runoff election for the mayor and City Council District 6 seat will be held June 13.
The mayoral runoff will be between candidate Michael French and incumbent Neal Linnartz.
The District 6 runoff race will be between candidate Nikki Shaw and incumbent April Ryan.
Next steps
Senior Assistant City Attorney Nathan Brown will serve as acting city attorney, said Jenna Vinson, director of communications and community engagement. The City Council will appoint another city attorney at a future meeting.
